I persuaded my football team to give me a job as a content creator

Making videos with fans and players at his local football club is all in a day's work for Jacob.

He's a content creator for Bolton Wanderers FC, coming up with new ideas for social media, filming videos and posting them onto official pages. The aim is to encourage people to follow the club.

My passion for football started at a very young age. To turn something I loved as a kid into my job is amazing

• Grew up loving football, went to Bolton Wanderers FC games with his dad and got his first season ticket at the age of five!
• At school, he made viral videos about rating school dinners
• Left high school without GCSEs but loved creative subjects like English, drama and writing
• Contacted Bolton and started making videos with fans
• A growing audience for his videos led to more work at Bolton, including making videos with players and different departments at the club

There are many different ways to develop a career in football content creation, from apprenticeships to freelance work and full-time employment.

Jacob works as a content creator for Bolton Wanderers and his career progression has followed this path:

Voluntary work at Bolton --> Professional content creator

While it might look simple, he's had to be resilient - and one of the biggest obstacles he faced was convincing Bolton to create his role. "Don't wait for an opportunity to come to you," he says. "If you're good at it, it does then sometimes lead into getting a role. If it doesn't, you've created a portfolio and it's really good for your CV and future opportunities."

• Create your own career path: Get out there and work with different clubs and companies to see where it leads you. Jacob explains: "The more work you put in, the more you get out",
• Be adaptable: You'll be filming at matches, chatting with players and fans and trying out new concepts, depending on what your audience is responding to. Being ready for anything will get you a long way.
• Hone your communication skills: It's essential to be comfortable talking to everyone from supporters and coaching staff to footballers. Don't worry if you're not quite there yet - Jacob says he was shy in school, but his communication skills improved as he got older.

Jacob says salaries can range from £26,000 to around £40,000 for roles like his. Like him, some content creators start by doing it as a hobby while they improve their skills. While some content creators are full-time employees, many are freelancers so their average salaries can be variable.

Find out more about the role of a content creator below. Content creation roles can come under a range of titles including social media manager or content manager.

What to expect if you want to be a football content creator

• Content creator average salary: Variable
• Content creator typical working hours: Variable, especially if you're freelance or self-employed. Jacob works two days a week, and on match days, but for other people it could be a full-time role.

What qualifications do you need to be a football content creator?

You could get into this role via a college course (to get practical skills in video editing and production, or a T Level in Marketing), an apprenticeship, volunteering, short private training courses and also teaching yourself.

This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed and the GOV.UK website for more on T-levels.

For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).

Bitesize Careers, in partnership with The Open University, has launched the Follow Your Passion campaign, exploring how you can draw on your passions and interests to find your future jobs.

• Kick off: September 2026
• Focus: All things football!
• Discover more: To find more careers in football, click the link to the Bitesize Careers Follow Your Passion page.